Thursday, July 09, 2009

Our Move to the South

Well, we have been here in the South for 3 weeks and 4 days now. I've longed to sit down & blog several times but I haven't had the time... or the energy. Plus, I hate playing catch up (hence the reason I haven't written in my personal journal in FOREVER! ah!). But here I am- sitting while the littles devour a late lunch.

Summary of our move:

- our church family in Ohio was awesome at getting us packed up on Friday, June 12th. You know, moving makes you realize how much stuff you have! We had to leave behind several items- washer & dryer (no big deal- our rental has that), vacuum (it was smelly & old- I got to buy a new one), few bookcases, TV and several other items. Several people were shocked we left the TV behind but it was an easy decision for us- we'll buy a new one eventually but we haven't really missed not having that time-waster. (And when I want to waste time, I just plug a DVD into my computer.) During our packing, several ladies showed up unexpectedly to clean for me. Yahoo! It enabled me to make several important phone calls to prepare things in GA for our move. Everything came together except the hot water- we discovered we would be without it for one week. Yuck.

- we arrived in GA to see our rental for the first time on Saturday evening. Eric's brother had found this home for us & we rented it without ever stepping foot inside. (Eric drove by once while here for a business trip.) The house has 1000 more square feet than our home in Ohio (yahoo!) and is set on a wooded lot which has provided for hours of enjoyment for the children. Not having a garage has been difficult though. We decided to store Eric's woodworking tools at my parent's home in AL. That was sad decision to make but it is temporary.

- My parents and the Arendse family met us here Saturday night & we spent a few hours visiting/cleaning before falling into beds (air mattresses or sleeping bags actually) sometime during the early hours of Sunday morning.

- while we loathe working on the Lord's Day, circumstances made it necessary for us to unload our moving truck on Sunday, June 14. Eric's family came over to help & we also hired two men to work for us. Lorimer flew home with David that Sunday. Jeanelle stayed behind to help for a few days before leaving her three girls behind while she traveled to CA to stay with her very sick mother.

- the next two weeks are a blur- seriously. I was busy caring for 8 children & trying to unpack when I could. We spent the first week going to a hotel in the evenings for showers. While I was grateful for the hot shower, the whole process took 2-3 hours. Plus, one hotel took all my bathroom stuff out of the room and it took several days to get it returned. Err! The other reason why the first two weeks are a blur is because I got sick. Really sick.

- I got what I thought was the flu on a Thursday, June 18. It was BAD- I was sick every 10-15 minutes all day. My parents came over to care for the children on Friday because I couldn't walk across the room due to being so weak and Eric had to work. By Saturday night, I began to feel better & my parents went home. I awoke early Sunday morning with more vomiting, an intense, sharp pain in my lower back & cramping/numbness- all of which made walking very difficult. Not good. Eric 's brother came over to care for the children while Eric took me into the emergency room. I discovered I was severely dehydrated, had lost 10 pounds, had low, low blood pressure and had a UTI. I spent the day in labor & delivery (no baby came but the DR said if I had ignored the cramps, I would have gone into labor) hooked up to an IV. I went home that evening & straight to bed. My mother came back over from AL to help we with the children. Eric left the next day for Portland, OR for the week.

- Towards the end of the second week, I began to feel better and everyone went home. We have finished unpacking everything except for the craft room. Oh, and we have pictures to hang up on the walls. I've even been able to get back to teaching the children their educational lessons this week. Yahoo! We met with our new midwife, Debbie, on Tuesday. We are nearing the end of this pregnancy and I need to start making preparations! We are still praying and considering where to worship- please pray for clear direction about that.

I'm sorry that wasn't shorter. I actually could have wrote much more- like our battles with really big bugs in the house (even after the bug guy came & sprayed) or dealing with a very sick dog over and over again or... I'll spare you. We do praise God for caring for us these past few weeks! We were brought to our knees in prayer several times and His mercy never failed. With all the mini-trials, there is always time of great rejoicing! We are excited to see what the Lord does in our lives here in GA!

I finally pulled out the camera last week, so I'll try to get some pictures taken & then posted soon!
- Heather

PS- a HUGE thank you to everyone who helped us both physically and by prayer! Thank you notes are coming- I promise! :) It is strange and sometimes a challenge to live somewhere where you do not know anyone. We miss our friends in Ohio but rejoice in the opportunity to live closer to family. Oh, and to have job! :) Eric is truly enjoying being back with this company- he works with really good people. God is good!

3 comments:

Jess said...

Oh Heather! So good to hear you all are doing okay! That must have been a scare with the UTI and dehydration when pregnant. Glad you are feeling better!

Think of you all often!

Anonymous said...

We are so very thankful that you all have move to GA. After six years of praying, our prayers have been answer. What a joy will it be seeing and doing things with our grand children. Do NotWorry Heather bugs are bugs and you learn to smash them all.
Love Mom and Dad

Jeanelle said...

I am so thankful Heather to you, Eric and your parents for helping you with all the children while I spent a week in the hospital with my mom. Especially since you ended up getting very sick. God was good in the way he provided for all of our needs.